September 21, 2009

Today we all did some reading and practiced for the Terry Fox run. Some of us got to show how well we can count. This afternoon, we got to work with plasticine. Plasticine takes lots of rolling to get soft enough for little fingers to work with it.

September 18, 2009

We got to see some blue jay eggs today. Then Miss Owen used the Smart Board to show us her photo a robin's egg that she found on her deck a few days ago. It's a strange time for bird's eggs, but they are interesting to look at.

September 17, 2009

Our first Science unit invites us to consider living things. We've sat quietly outside and tried to sort things into living and non-living categories. Two items so far have stirred debate:

1. Branches fallen from trees
2. Air

Next week we'll begin a home reading program. This works best when the child takes a book home one day, and returns it to school the next day whether or not that book was read. That way, we can still use the book at school if we need to. The child can always take the same book home another day. I suggest you treat the home reading like the planner in that you store it in the backpack. That way it won't get lost.

Sending the material back and forth each day is especially important for those who bring home a duotang. We use the duotan in class daily and if your child leaves the duotang at home, he or she will miss important aspects of the next day's reading lesson.

September 16, 2009

Today we started to keep track of the weather on our weather calendars.  Everyone put the right weather in the number 16 box. Yay!

Knowing which book is just right for us to read is a very important reading skill. Today we began looking for just right books for each of us. Some children are already good at knowing what they can read. Others need a little help. But everyone will be choosing just right books within a few days.

A word about the homework calendars:  Those are for your convenience. Many families find it handy to have some suggestions about what to do. If you decide to use the calendar, you may have your child bring it back when it's completed and I will add a sticker and send it back home. The real benefit of the homework calendar is the time you spend with your child on tasks. It says, "I care about what you are learning." Any way you communicate that is wonderful.

If anyone is interested in a job stapling booklets together, I have a job for you!  Talk to me before or after school, and we can set up a schedule that makes us both happy.

September 15, 2009

Today we did some serious building. Here are some things we made.

September 14, 2009

Welcome to fourteen Grade One students and eight Grade Two students.

We had a good day today. Everyone did a good job of printing his or her name on a name card. We played with Duke a little bit and played a number game. We also put name tags on our hooks and desks and got into desks that fit us.

There is usually a new blog entry here each day. So check back regularly to see what's happening in our class.

Please remember to look at the planner and sign it every day.

Miss Owen

September 11, 2009

We worked so hard today that we had a longer choice time than Miss Owen meant to give us.

The best thing about this class right now is that everyone takes responsibility for cleaning up.

We will go to new classes early next week.

September 10, 2009

We had a busy day. Our slideshow will show you some of what we did.

September 9, 2009

We worked hard today.

First, we learned about three-toed sloths and made learning pictures about them.

Then we worked on a hard Math puzzle, but we kept on working until we figured it out.

We are also jumping little jumps and big jumps to raise our heart rates. We are getting stronger.

We don't know yet which teachers we will be with next year.

With all the rain, we need extra clothes at school.

Septmeber 8, 2009

Here we are, back at school again, ready for a new year. We are missing some friends from last year, and we welcomed a new student.

Because we are in Grade Two, we know a lot more than we did at this time last year.

Today we talked about our holidays. We drew pictures that showed what was important about our holiday. We remembered what makes a picture interesting for others to look at.

Tomorrow, we'll write about our holidays.

Flip-flops are good for the beach, not for running around the field. If we wear flip-flops, we have to bring other shoes so we can run fast safely.

Tomorrow we will be in school for the whole day.

School supplies stay at home until the teachers tell us to bring them. That will be when we go to our new classes.

Welcome Back!

Did you have fun this summer?

I sure did! Can you see all the mud that got on my car on my travels down some roads not many people get to drive down?

Are you ready for school?

I am.

Here's what you need to know for the first day:

School starts for you at 11:20. You get to sleep in.

We'll have a sort of recess and lunch break, so bring some food.
Remember, no nuts, seeds, or berries.

Then you will go home at 1:35.

Please keep you school supplies at home until we tell you to bring them.

Do bring a happy smile and a story to tell us about what you did or what you saw.

You've probably heard that people all over the world are thinking about a flu that is making some people very sick. It's a good thing you all know how to keep your coughs and sneezes off other people. You also know how important it is to wash your hands often. You know how to stay healthy.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

June 24, 2009

Can you believe we are facing our last day in Grade One?

Are you as impressed as I am with how far your child has come? Watch out Grade Two!

Tomorrow afternoon we will swim at the pool. When we get back to class, we will have a brief leaving ceremony. You are more than welcome to attend the ceremony.

For those of you who ordered the photo books, I will probably have to deliver them to you. Of course they might arrive today, but if they don't, I'll be knocking on your door as soon as they arrive.

You child will be bringing home a Word Wall sheet and a few pages of interlined paper. These should give you something to work with when it comes to writing. On rainy days, consider playing board, card, or dice games that will help you child to keep up with number facts. And of course, remember to cuddle with a story every day. You child can read, but it's also OK to read books that are too hard for your child to read. Talk about what you do and what you read.

I'll see you all in September. The first few days the children will be with this year's teacher, so we can start right where we left off.

June 17, 2009

In case you missed my phone call, here are the details about the photo book I am making for the class.

The book will be 8"X6" and will have 20 pages. There will be between 60 and 80 photos. The cost will range from $16 to $12. The difference in price is because of the difference in mailing charges that come from bulk orders.

If you want a book, send me $16 by Friday. I'm hoping the books will arrive by Thursday. If not, I will deliver yours to your house and give you any refund owing.

June 16, 2009

We were glad to see so many of you at the year end celebration. We hope you were impressed by how well we can read now. Not only did we read The New Baby Calf, but we read it together and we read it in parts. That's pretty hard work.

Did you see the blue notice in the planner about Duke? He likes to go visiting during the summer and he can stay for a long time on his summer visits. Your family has until Friday to return the form if you want to have a turn with Duke this summer.

June 10. 2009

How well does your child to mental math? Mental math is math the child does without using concrete manipulatives. In other words, it's math they do in their heads.

Try asking a few simple questions. Watch to see if your child is mentally counting, or using some other strategy to figure out the answers. Give increasingly difficult questions to build mental math strength. 

Before or after story time might be a good mental math time each day.

June 10. 2009

June 5, 2009

We had so much fun at Sports Day!

We hopped in sacks and kicked things and threw things and ran with things and danced. We cheered for our team and for other people, too.

We were really excited when the ribbons arrived after the very last minute had already passed. We cleaned up the playground really well and even tidied the classroom before we left.

We were good sports, which is the main thing.

June 4, 2009

Tomorrow is Sports Day. We should have sunscreen, hats, and water bottles.

In the mean time, we are taking a look back at our year to see what we have learned. Have you heard us read lately? Most of us are also writing at least two pages in our Driting books. Our writing uses interesting language and includes lots of details. We can write both the inside and the outside stories. Soon we will write our final report cards.

June 3, 2009

We had a visit from two local foresters who showed us beautiful slides of animals, plants, and jobs from the forest. Then we each got a western redcedar to plant.

One of the foresters has agreed to come back and take us for a walk in our local forest so we can see the plants and animals up close.

June 1, 2009

Today we learned the names for private body parts.
Here are the ones we named.

Boys have 3 private parts:

1. bottom
2. penis
3. testicles

Girls have 3 private parts:

1. 1. bottom
2. nipples
3. vulva

We know that it's important to show respect for our own bodies and the bodies of others.

It will help if you talk about these things at home as well because each family has its own way of dealing with personal issues.

May 12, 2009

Be sure to check the planner pocket for important information on our personal safety unit. During these lessons, your child will learn standard names for private body parts and will learn when it is OK to say no to an adult or older child.

These lessons often bring on the sillies if children are embarrassed by the topics.

On another level of safety, we had a great discussion about what to do if we have an earthquake during school hours. The children had some excellent questions:

What can we do if the door won't open?
What if we aren't in the classroom when the shaking starts?

They also know what to do if the adult is injured and can't help them. (Count to 60 after the shaking stops, follow the designated student to safety, and if you are the "door person," tell an adult that there is someone injured in the building.) We spent a lot of time talking about how important it is to behave calmly and to keep everyone around us safe in an emergency.

You can be proud of the responsible attitude your child has shown during the discussions.

May 11

Today was a day for changes.

We were assigned to new reading groups.

That meant we had to move some furniture in our classroom.

That meant we had to have a new seating plan for our desks and also for our carpet time. (Our carpet time is now lino time.)

We also read about earthquakes and practiced what to do if one happened at school. We talked, too, about what to do at home if we felt an earthquake there. We know it's serious, but we don't want to be too scared.

You can help by talking about what your family would do during and after a quake.

April 30, 2009

We finished our swimming lessons this afternoon. Everyone shows improvement! And everyone had fun!

I'm sorry that I forgot to bring my camera today, but you can see how well your child swims the next time you swim together. Tomorrow I'll send home the certificates from the instructors.

I was also very impressed today at how well the children did in putting pieces of pasta into groups that would make it easier to count. We've decided that groups of 2, 5, and 10 work much better than groups of 13 or 7. We wrote riddles for each other about numbers and put them into little books. During free time, we can do the riddles our friends made.

April 27, 2009

When Dylan's team reached 100 points, Dylan asked that his prize be a day teaching the class. We negotiated one lesson. Today with his Mom as a helper, Dylan showed us how water combined with the dye in washable felt and traveled up a strip of coffee filter paper.

Dylan said the hardest part was to get people to listen. Part of that was his lack of experience in managing a classroom. But not all. Our whole class has been slipping in this area lately. Here's how you can help. Watch your child. Does he or she wait until someone else has finished talking before talking? Does he or she actually look at your when you are speaking? Being a good listener is a vital skill both in the classroom and in life. Any help you can give your child in learning to listen well will be a lifelong gift.

Look at our beautiful art work.

We read The New Baby Calf, a book that Barbara Reid illustrated.

Then we used her style to make animal artwork. You can see the originals in the hallway, but until then, you can enjoy them right here.

April 23, 2009

Retro Day!

Some of us came with attitude as well as retro clothes.

Can you tell which decade each of us dressed for?

April 22, 2009

Hurray for Canada Day!

Mr. Heidebrecht got all dressed up.





We went to the gym to listen to our choir.

April 21, 2009

Aren't we amazing!

We had some very crazy hair in our classroom today. Riley took this photo for us. Thank you, Riley.

Remember that tomorrow is Canada Day in our Spirit Week. It will be interesting to see how each person decides to celebrate being Canadian.

April 20, 2009

This week is Spirit Week at Gibsons Elementary. We started it off in fine form today with Books, Bathrobes, and Slippers Day. Thanks to Celyna who took this photo for us.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow is Crazy Hair Day!

April 16, 2009

Swimming is so much fun when you wear your clothes in the water. It's even more fun when you learn how to rescue your friends in distress.

The children learned not only how to rescue someone in the water, but how to save themselves if they fall through the ice. Powerful and useful lessons.

April 9, 2009

Wow! What a day we had!

We started with a visit from two Easter bunnies, Fluffy and Spotty.

Christopher helped Katherine share the story about her pets.


Later, the Easter bunny -- we don't know which one -- left some yummy treats for us. But first we had to go on a big treasure hunt all over the playground.

Then, after lunch, we went for our second swimming lesson. This time, we have some video to show you. We are all become better swimmers.

Next week we have to wear clothes in the pool over our swimsuits. That means we have to bring extra clothes because we will need dry clothes to go home in.

April 7, 2009

Au Revoir, Madame Marshall!

Today we had our last French class with Madame Marshall. We sang our French songs and did our puppet play for the last time. Then we filled in a paper for Madame Marshall so she knows what we liked to do.

Hello Jade!

We lost Madame Marshall, but Jade joined our class today. Welcome Jade.

April 2, 2009

Today we had our first swim lesson.

We are divided into three groups, according to our swimming levels.

Everyone came home happy, having learned something new.

Thanks to the parents who came to help.

And big congratulations to the children for their excellent behaviour in the change rooms and their respect for the swimming teachers.

We also said happy birthday to Chelsea today.

March 31, 2009

Thanks to Mr. Sullivan's class for sharing their Science projects with us this morning. We got to try out several simple machines.

March 26, 2009

Today we start the last unit in our Second Step lessons. These lessons are all about handling anger. There is important information in the planner pocket today. This adds to what is in the planner.

Anger is neutral. It is neither good nor bad. It is simply a signal that something is wrong.

We feel anger when we are frustrated or feel threatened in some way. It is important to know when we are angry so we can fix whatever is wrong. Our lessons will be helping children to calm down, not because the anger itself is bad, but because we don't think well when we are at the top of Anger Mountain.

In his excellent book, Make Anger Your Ally, Neil Clark Warren says that anger is like nuclear power, it can blow up a city or light up a city. Learning how to identify and harness our anger is one of life's most important lessons.

March 25, 2009

Today we took the challenge of measuring to see which curved path was longest and which was shortest. We used string because we could bend it. 

At home you can collect things with curves and use a string to see which things are longer and which are shorter.

March 24

Mr. Heidebrecht dropped in this morning and caught us dancing.

On the academic front, we have been comparing measurements using words that end in -er. We are using words like taller, shorter, wider, longer, thinner, heavier, lighter, bigger, and smaller.

Today we thought about whether it would be better to be big or little.

We will be talking about how something can be both big and little at the same time.

Not everyone was able to come to class on Thursday. Our door is open. You should know that you child made a hanging and left a place for you to write what your child is doing in school that makes you feel proud. When you come in, your child will help you to add your comments to that of the other parents.

March 10, 2009

Today we practiced Mental Math. We made pictures in our heads to help us solve story problems. You can help by asking simple questions we can figure out by making pictures in our heads.

For example, today we thought about 10-frames and how they help us to add up numbers like 5+6. 

We also practiced showing our work to each other so we will be able to show it to you when you come on Thursday.

March 9, 2009

With all the snow at the north end of the coast, there were some changes in who was in our building.  Mr. Heidebrecht stayed snuggly safe in Halfmoon Bay, while Mr. Walters, the principal from Halfmoon Bay was here. He came into our room just before lunch to read Scribbleville.

Today's Good Math Question:

Some summer bears are roaming. Winter comes.

Some bears go into the cave.

3 bears are left out.

How many might have been summer roaming bears?

How many might be in the cave?

The big idea was to learn how to write a number story like:

5-x=3  

Except that we drew a box instead of writing an x, and I haven't figured out how to make the box on the Web.

For those whose children did not bring home the notice this week about coming to the school, here is the information:

I will be in the classroom this Thursday from 1:30 to 6:30. During that time you are welcome to come with your child who will show you his or her work. 

I will be available to answer specific questions about student work, but will not be having private interviews at that time. 

If you want a private interview with me, please let me know what time works for you, and I will do my best to accommodate you.

March 6, 2009

Today was report card day. Remember to sign the card cover and return the cover and the envelope. We'll need them at the end of the year.

We had a great time this morning with our special guest from the Knotty Daughters. Each child had a chance to play a marimba-xylophone duet with Katherine. The video camera didn't cooperate, but I'll create a slide show of all the kids playing and post it here when I get a chance.

March 5, 2009

We had a great Math question today and most children used the strategy of an ordered list to find lots of answers. Here is our latest good Math question:

There are some frogs in a pond.

Some jump out.

There are 6 frogs left in the pond.

How many might be in the pond at the start?

How many might jump out?

March 3, 2009

The children are writing their own report cards. First we looked at the reports they produced back in November. Then we listed the main things we've learned since then. That's quite an impressive list! Each child is drawing or writing about the things (s)he is most proud of.

The Good Math Question we posted yesterday will be our topic for today because we didn't finish thinking about it yesterday.

I hope everyone had a look in the planner pocket last night. There were several important notices in the pocket.

March 2, 2009

For those who were wondering, the chickaDEE contest closes April 30.

On Friday we said good-bye to Kaliya who is off on a great adventure.

Today our Good Math Question is

There are 10 marbles in a box. Some are green. Some are yellow. There are 2 more yellow marbles than green marbles. How many marbles are there?

We work with two-sided counters to solve a problem like this one.

Duke is wondering who will take him home for Spring Break. If your family is ready for a small house guest, please fill in the form coming home today for the draw on Friday morning.

February 26, 2009

Our Good Math Question today is

How many ways can you roll doubles with 2 dice?

We have worked on a directed drawing of Arf, a character in Chickadee magazine. These can be entered in a contest. If you want your child to enter  the contest, send the drawing to 

chickaDEE

10 Lower Spadina Ave,

Suite 400

Toronto, ON

M5V 2Z2

February 25, 2009

Today we wore pink to show that we are against bullying.

Our Good Math Question today was

There are 8 dinosaurs in the dinosaur park. They are all either eating or drinking. How many could be eating, and how many could be drinking?

The big idea: There is a finite number of ways to put a number into two groups. Using an organized list is an efficient way to find all the ways to split the number into groups.

The children are bringing home their dinosaur work today. Ask your child why (s)he organzied the work in the way (s)he did.

February 23, 2009

Today's Good Math Question:

Bowling pins can be up or down.

How will you know when you have found all the combinations for 10 bowling pins?

This afternoon we will perform Go Home Goldie! at 1:50. We hope you can make it.

Posted later:

And if you didn't make it, here we are...

February 21

Yesterday our Good Math Question was about bowling pins. We noticed that pins can be either up or down. That limits our "numbers stories" to combinations of 2 numbers. The question is, "How can we tell when we have found all the ways five pins can be arranged in up and down positions?"

We have not finished sorting this out in our minds. Some children are hot on the trail of the concept that creating an ordered list (0,1,2,3...) would help, but can't quite do it or explain why that strategy works.

Note that it is important for the children to internalize the strategy, so we are spending time working with the concept instead of simply having me tell them what to do. Knowing when to stop is a big piece of doing Mathematical thinking.

February 20

On Monday at 1:50, our class will perform a readers' theater piece at the Primary Assembly and you are invited to watch Go Home Goldie!

Each of us has a part and we are busy practicing so everyone will hear us.

February 19 2009

How was your day?

We were very busy at Chatelech.

Dr. Roland Case, an SFU professor, was the keynote speaker. His topic was "Critical Thinking." Gibsons Elementary Primary teachers were excited to hear him because he was talking about the sort of Math questions we have been trying to ask more often -- the kind I've begun posting on this blog.

In the morning workshop I learned more about our new computers and got some ideas for lessons. During one of our breaks we listened to a local group called Knotty Dotters. I got a short video of them and the permission to share it here.

We have a very popular bass xylophone in our classroom. I thought it would be great to see and hear what a group could do with similar instruments. We may have a special visit from one of the group members in the future.

February 18, 2009

Mrs. Pugh teaches our Aboriginal Education class. This week she told us a raven story about what happens we do not show respect. We made pictures to show how the story connected to our own life stories.

February 13

We had a great time today!

First we celebrated 100 Day. Then we celebrated Valentines Day.

The video below is a collection of the photos we got today.

Tomorrow is our 100Day/Valentine's Day celebration. Please help your child to organize the collection of 100 things to bring in tomorrow.

Today's Good Math Question:

On a two-coloured mat, how many ways can you make the number 14?

Big Math Idea:

Numbers can be divided in a variety of ways.

I'll be watching for:

Organization. Most children will randomly place their items. A few will be more methodical, starting with one counter on one side. These children show a deeper understanding of the number system and will be more efficient in completing the task.

We had a visit from two-week-old lambs this afternoon.

February 11

The Primary Team in Gibsons Elementary has a focus this year on asking what we are calling "good math questions." A good question is designed to have more than one answer or a variety of ways to find one answer. Answering the question should deepen the students' understanding of a big idea in math. Anyone in the class should be able to work on the question successfully.

Some days we will do more traditional things or have lessons that demonstrate or teach something directly, but the focus will be on "good questions."

I will post our good math questions here so you can get an idea of what your child is doing in Math class. You may want to talk about the question at home.

Today's Good Math Question:

What numbers are closer to 10 than to 20?

The Big Idea:

This leads into successful estimation. Estimation is important in doing mental math.

February 10

Gibsons Elementary has three key words:

• Safe
• Cared For
• Respected

These words tell us how we want everyone to feel.

Some children are using their social power to hurt the feelings of others. You can help your child to look at her or his own behaviour from the point of view of others. This is a new skill for most children who are six.

"How would you feel if..." helps a child to learn empathy.

Watch for opportunities to draw attention to feelings of book characters or to family or friends as you go about your daily lives.

February 10

On Friday, we will celebrate both 100 Day and Valentines Day.

In the morning, we'll focus on 100 Day. For that, each child is asked to bring a collection of 100 things organized in a way that makes it easy for others to count the items. Hint: We have been organizing things in class in groups of 2, groups of 5, and groups of 10 to make counting faster.

In the afternoon we will celebrate Valentine's Day. The children know that if they bring any Valentines, they must bring one for each classmate. I am not allowed to send home class lists because of privacy issues. Hint: Look closely at the weekly Word Wall Word List. You can also ask your child to copy classmates' names to bring home.

Note that bringing Valentines is completely optional. There will be many activities during the afternoon based on our Valentine's theme.

February 9

We worked on the question: How many sleeps is it until our 100 Day/Valentine's party on Friday? That's an important and very big question.

If an event is coming up for your family, in stead of telling you child how long you have to wait, have your child use the calendar to figure out how many sleeps there are. Offer only as much support as needed.

To do this job well, a child has to remember that (s)he does not have to count the sleep of the day of the event.

January 30

What a surprise!

As one student shared her heritage, I began to suspect we might be related. Later, her grandmother came to the classroom door with a book that deals with the family genealogy. Sure enough, there was my great-grandmother in the book, proving that my student and I are distant --very distant-- cousins.

We never know what we will learn when we take on a project.

January 29

We got all dressed up in Sheree Fitch hats and went to see this engaging poet at Davis Bay Elementary. I can't post the whole video here -- at least not all at once -- but I thought you would like to know what a highly published Canadian author thinks makes a book a book.

January 29

We've been chanting Double Rap for a few days now. Today we thought we'd go public. We do have a video, but I'm having trouble getting the material onto the blog. I'm going to keep trying. In the mean time, you can ask for your own private performance at home.

Yay! It's up.

I apologize for cutting the video short at the beginning and the the end. I'm still getting used to this camera.

January 28

Ms. Fitchell's class made Math games to help us learn things about Math.

We really liked the games and hope they will come back soon to play with us again.

January 26

Our heritage sharing is going very well. Today we had a tasty treat from Italy. We've also seen pictures of Scotland, Indonesia, Greece, and the United States.

Some of us have practiced writing clues. Here is an example of our work from today:

It is an animal.
It lives in a house.
It meows.
Can you guess?

We know how to start with a big idea and narrow our focus to one clue that lets everyone guess correctly. Maybe you can write some clues together at home.

January 22

Carol helps us make big numbers using groups of 10.

January 21

To prepare for our meeting with the wonderful Canadian author Sheree Fitch, we have been reading her poems.

Ask your child about Beggs and Acon. After we read this poem from If I Had A Million Onions, we had some fun playing with our own names.

Beggs and Acon uses spoonerisms. If you are looking for something to do in the evening or you just want to hear lots of giggling, create some spoonerisms of your own. Then tell your child it's time to...

...tush breeth and bo to ged.

January 20

We have been exploring doubles (1+1, 2+2, 3+3, etc.). Today each child wrote as many doubles as possible during the Math lesson. Then we looked at some patterns that happen when we add doubles. Some children worked with material that helped them make doubles with "big" numbers (40+40, 100+100, 1000+1000, etc.).

Tomorrow we will continue our work with doubles, looking more closely at the patterns in doubles to 50+50.

Ask your child to show what (s)he knows about adding doubles. You can expect some misunderstandings at this point. When your child makes a mistake with doubles, see if you can figure out what misunderstanding created the mistake. Questions like, "Tell me now you know that," or "Show me how you did that," help your child to figure things out while feeling smart.

January 19

Today we began a new unit with our Aboriginal Education teacher, Mrs. P. (Mrs. Pugh). We will be learning how Aboriginal people see the natural world as part of their family. Today we talked about being thankful for the things animals give us.

This video will show you how to help your child with printing. If your child has trouble with a letter or a group of letters, check to see how we make the letter at school. If you use the same technique at home, your child will make faster progress.

I apologize for the quality of the video. I have been on a steeper learning curve than I expected with a new camera and a new computer that uses a different method for editing video than I am used to. I hope I can replace this video with others later.

You will also notice that this video does not cover all letters. That is also the result of my lack of technical knowledge. Other letters will follow.

January 15

Feelings change. That's what we've been talking about in our Second Step lessons. For example, a child who feels afraid to ride a bike with training wheels, comes to enjoy riding even without them. Tastes in food change.

Knowing about these changes can help a child to feel hope that the unpleasant feelings of today will pass.

Do continue to use words related to feelings when you talk with your child. The words our program focuses on are: happy, sad, mad (or angry), scared, excited, and disgusted.

January 13

We have started our unit on movement. We'll be talking about all sorts of movement and trying out as many as we can. You can support this at home by being alert to vocabulary about movement. This includes words about placement like behind, near, over, etc., as well as speed words like fast, slow, quickly, etc., and types of movement like, swimming, galloping, walking, bending, etc. If you need cooperation in getting jobs done for example, you can turn the job into a movement game: Can you pick up your toys like a bear, a butterfly, moving sideways, on one foot and one hand? Lots of room for imagination in this one.

January 12

This picture shows our two sets of twins with birthdays in January. One set of twins are actual sisters. The other set are twins only because they were born on the same day. Can you tell which set is which?

We heard about all the birthday celebrations today even though only two of these children were born on January 12.

With children turning 7, we are noticing that we are moving into a new phase of our school year. Not only are children having birthdays, but they are also learning many new things.

January 9

We had our last Christmas sharing. For now, we will have sharing on our old terms. Beginning on January 19, we will be sharing about our family heritage. Watch for a schedule of when your child will share.

January 8

One aspect of printing that is often overlooked, is the position of the paper on the desk. Whether your child is right handed or left handed, the side of the paper should be parallel to the writing forearm.

I'm hoping the pictures below are worth 1000 words.

January 7

One focus for the class this term will be printing. You can ask your child to explain how cats help us to print properly.

We are still sharing Christmas gifts with enthusiasm. Two more days and then we go back to the usual ban on toys as items to share.

January 6

We are still hearing about favourite Christmas presents.

With the daily downpours, the only word for the playground is wet. Please be sure your child has extra clothes at school. This includes socks and underwear.

Watch for a change in our home reading routine. Remember that no matter how you read with your child, daily reading together is the best thing you can do for your child's education.

January 5

Although five students were absent this morning, we got back into the groove quickly.

If you want your child to exercise more independence at the end of the day, leave me a note in the planner. Children who go take the bus or who go to Kids Club already leave when the bell rings. Those who are picked up must wait until someone comes to the classroom door. If you do want your child to meet you outside of the building, be sure to reinforce safety. I will still be in the classroom, so I cannot supervise the parking lot.

Each child is invited to bring one gift to show to the class during this first week back.

Our first group was enthusiastic about the things they brought.

January 1

Happy New Year!

This entry is also for the children.

We are having snow again this morning. From my window it looks wonderful! I've even been for a walk in it already. Today it is crunchy.

I know that you are used to thinking that snow is white. Today I'd like you to take a closer look. What colours can you see in the snow? Try looking at the snow at different times of the day and in different places. Try cutting into it where it is all piled up. What colour is it there? How many different snow colours can you find?

If there is still snow when we get back to school, we'll do this together. But the snow might be gone by then, and I want you to have a chance to think about snow colours while you are still in Grade One.

See you on Monday!

December 18

I know this is out of order.

Right after I posted the picture of the tulip, I noticed that I hadn't posted the picture of the last Christmas sharing. We heard about Christmas traditions that included going to church, putting up heritage ornaments and opening stockings before breakfast.

December 30 2008

Hello everyone,

This post is for the children.

Remember the tulips that we fooled into thinking the fall was winter and that winter was spring? We put them in the fridge for a while. Then we took them out to warm up. I promised that I would post a photo of the tulips when they bloomed.

I went away for a short trip. I wrapped the tulip pot in two blankets to keep it warm in the car and took it with me. The tulips didn't bloom while I was away, so I wrapped the pot up again and brought it home with me.

This photo shows what I saw when I got up this morning.

December 17

What a day we had!
First of all, there was real snow, the kind you can slide on and build with. We went out first thing to collect more greenery for our project. It was very cold, so we had hot chocolate when we got back inside. We wrote about cold things and hot things.

Then we heard two more family stories.

Who goes to a restaurant for Christmas dinner?
Who makes cookie Christmas tree ornaments?

We are chatting a lot about the different traditions we have.

Finally, we got to work on our baskets. Mrs. Alcock came in to help us. But the children did the work themselves. I think you'll agree that they did a lovely job. Many people stopped by to check out what was making the wonderful smell. It turned out to be all the greenery we had collected both from home and from the school yard.

Listen to the local radio for any warnings about the weather for tomorrow.

December 16

Today three more children shared about their Christmas traditions.

We heard about the decorations on a tree, about the large family gathering that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and about opening gifts early at relatives' homes.

In case you didn't have photos of the Christmas concert, Mr. Heidebrecht has some posted on his blog.

December 15

We started the morning with sharing.

We heard how one family goes from waking up to stockings to gifts under the tree. We saw Christmas cards that one child is giving. 

Finally, we heard about new skates.

After lunch, Ms. Bjornson, our Aboriginal Education teacher, came in to help us make bear masks. She has been teaching us about bears. The masks we are making use First Nations designs.

December 12 part 2

Katherine and Sasha shared their Christmas items with us. This time there was a definite theme: Hand made ornaments.

We are learning a great deal about each other in these special Christmas sharing events.

December 12

Get ready for Monday. Lots of sleep is in order.

We start the day in the gym with Santa's breakfast. Parents can come, too.

In the evening, we have our concert. Our rehearsal went well, and I expect that the concert will, too. Everyone looks good and sounds good.

Of course in between breakfast and the concert, there is lots of work to do. We are still learning the basics as well as celebrating the season.

December 11

Today we saw family photos, a special personal pillow, and a special Christmas ornament.

Tomorrow we show the Intermediate students our concert piece.

Judging from the excitement, everyone's costume is ready and spectacular!

December 10

We started this morning by hearing about three Christmas traditions.

Guess who will have 33 people for Christmas dinner?

Guess who will have Christmas in two different places?

Guess who is getting presents from Grandma?

December 9

We are working with combinations in Math. The question we are thinking about most right now is, How many ways can we combine these two things?

Here is a sample question:

We can have six balls on our Christmas tree. We have to use red and yellow balls. How many combinations could we have?

Or:

I've got 6 coins in my pocket. Some are pennies and some are nickels. How many combinations could I have?

Can you think of some questions like these to give you child extra practice?

December 8

We've had a smart board in our room since the beginning of the year. Now we have the hardware and software both working so we can use the board.

Everyone has had a chance to use the special electronic pens that let us write on the board. We'll be using the board for more of our daily work in the future.

For those who don't know, the smart board is like a large computer touch screen. It's better, too, because of extra features like the special pens.

December 4

Today the children followed a DVD presentation with Madame Marshall to retell the story of Chicken Little whose name I can say, but not spell in French. They have made puppets who speak French. When the dance DVD comes on, the classroom comes to life.

Miss Owen

December 3

Today we talked about feelings. Can you guess how we are feeling from this picture? You can choose these feelings.
Happy
Sad
Angry
Surprised
Disgusted

December 2

I apologize for not adding to the blog yesterday. My mother has been very ill and taking care of her has used up all of my out-of-class time. I'm happy to say that she seems to have turned a corner.

Today Riley shared his tarantual's first molt.

I hope you are talking about which animal your child wants to be for our part in the Christmas concert. Everyone is enthusiastic about showing what we can do.